5280 Week/end

So it's that time of year again...that time of year that Denver has 5280 restaurant week! It's always an exciting time when Denver has this deal. It allows us all to go out and enjoy a really nice dinner for a fraction of the cost of what a couple would normally pay for a great meal. It also means that you've got a date night both of you will enjoy. Friday night Colleen and I kept it pretty low key. It had already been a whirlwind week with co-workers being out and having to cover for them.

Colleen also had an interview with my company on Tuesday, but it didn't go very well. The hiring manager said she was under-qualified for the position, which is bogus since she is extremely intelligent and very driven. She is one of the hardest workers I know of and would have been an excellent hire. Alas, it is too bad that way too many hiring managers have a closed mind and only a certain select few meet their antiquated qualifications.

On Wednesday, Colleen and I met up with my parents and my Uncle Matt at their house in Wash Park. I hadn't seen my Uncle Matt in what seems like a decade, although I'm sure it was more like 7 or 8 years, but still it had been a long time. He was jovial and out-spoken and it was good to finally introduce him to Colleen and tell him that we are expecting our first baby in August. He gave me all sorts of hilarious fatherly advice about what to expect during the pregnancy...all of which was supposed to scare me about the whole process! My Uncle Scott and Aunt Nikki also showed up at the house and then we reconvened at Racine's for a late dinner. It was funny to see my Uncle's interact (since they are brothers) at dinner. They are quite the pair when they are together, laughing and making jokes, all of which were inside jokes. The stranger part is that my Dad and Uncle Scott are much closer in age and yet my Dad was the outsider, at least that's how it seemed to me.

On Thursday, we all went up to Genesee, which is just outside Golden, CO and is off I-70 and basically at the foothills and on your way up to go skiing. It was cold and there was plenty of snow on the ground since it had snowed during the day. We all met up for dinner at the Chart House which over-looks Denver; it was a gorgeous view from our table. We all met up at the Chart House for two reasons. 1st it was my Uncle Scott's 58th birthday, and my cousin Sam and his wife Karen were coming into town. I had never met Sam's wife Karen and hadn't seen Sam since our cousin Brian's wedding, which was in 2004 or 2005. It was really nice seeing him and meeting his wife. It was also nice for Colleen and I since we actually had someone our own age to talk to. We also shared a lot in common regarding our love of our dogs. They have three to our two. So we exchanged many stories and photos over dinner. It was a great meal! I had the prime rib and shrimp and Colleen had the Mahi Mahi.

Friday Colleen and I stayed in and had a mellow night. We watched Pirates of the Carribean The Curse of the Black Pearl and three or four episodes of House and went to bed early. It was nice to have a low-key night since the last two we went out and socialized. Saturday we got up at 10am, grabbed some breakfast at The Bagel Deli and brought the dogs over to my parents house so we could walk Wash Park. Coll stayed behind with my Mom and my Dad and I walked the park with Rory and Lilly. That night we went out to The Perfect Landing for our 5280 dinner and had a great date night. Coll had the scallops and I had the surf and turf. The $52.80 dinner was 4-course meal that started with a crab-meat cocktail, followed by a clam chowder and house salad, followed by our entrees, and then this decadent chocolate dessert that you can see Colleen and I enjoyed.